Four Recipes: Homemade is Better

There are several recipes I make on a regular basis and they are staples in my kitchen. Today, I am going to share four recipes with you. Each one is so much better than anything you can buy at the store and the recipe makes a lot so you will not have to make it very often. Today, I am going to show you how to make plain Greek yogurt, granola, vinaigrette, and salsa. Join me in the kitchen!

Anne's Greek Yogurt

yield: ~2-21/2 quarts prep time: ~1 hour, plus 12 hours to ferment I could not live without jars of thick, tangy, plain yogurt lined up in the refrigerator. The yogurt lasts for weeks and it is great for breakfast, as a topping for tacos, in marinades, and as a dip for raw veggies. To make it, you only need 2 ingredients, a heavy pan with a very flat bottom, a thermometer, and a heating pad. Here is the recipe:

1 gallon whole milk that is not super pasteurized

1 cup plain yogurt to use as the starter (Fage is the brand I use)

In a heavy pan heat milk to 200 degrees F. Use a candy or instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and let it cool to 100 degrees F. Loosen 1 cup yogurt with a bit of the warm milk, then whisk it into the pot of milk. Set the pot on top of a heating pad set on low. Let it sit, undisturbed for at least 12 hours—I prefer the tang that develops with closer to 18 hours. Strain the yogurt through a lined colander. I use an old linen towel that I secure with an elastic band around the outside of the colander. Place the colander into a large bowl and pour in the yogurt. Refrigerate for a few hours. The whey will separate and be in the bottom of the bowl. You do not need this for the yogurt but it can be used to water your flowers outside. Put the strained yogurt into a bowl and whisk until smooth. I store it in large mason jars in the refrigerator.

---

Granola

Crunchy, nutty, not too sweet granola

Use it on top of yogurt for breakfast and snack on it all day. This version does not contain refined sugar and you can adjust the maple syrup and honey to fit your taste. This makes a lot of granola, but the ingredients can be be lessened if you want to make a smaller batch.

yield: ~fills 2 gallon glass jar prep time: ~1 hour

Ingredients:

½ cup honey

½ cup real maple syrup

2-3 TBSP Molasses

1/3 cup Almond Butter

1/3 cup coconut oil (May need more if seems dry when mixing)

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger—you can use more or less spice depending on taste

4-6 cups roasted nuts (I use a combination of pecans, cashews, and almonds)

1 large container of old fashioned oats

1 slightly beaten egg white

flaky salt, like Maldon

Procedure:

1. Heat first eight ingredients in a small pan until almond butter and coconut oil are melted

2. In a very large bowl, mix all the nuts and oatmeal. Pour the wet ingredients over and mix until moist. If it looks very dry, add small amounts of melted coconut oil and /or honey.

3. Line two large, rimmed cookie sheets with parchment

4. Press mixture into pans

5. Brush tops with egg white

6. Sprinkle a few pinches of Maldon salt over top

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

You may have to turn pans…the bottom of the granola should be browned

Once the pan is cool enough, remove parchment and let granola cool. It should be very crunchy.

When totally cool, break into chunks and store in a glass jar. I don’t recommend storing in a ziplock bags because it will get soggy.

---

Anne's Vinaigrette

Mix all the ingredients in a mason jar or cruet with a tight fitting lid. The amount of vinegar and oil are dependent on the size of the jar (2/3 vinegar to 1/3 oil)

yield: ~size of jar prep time: ~15 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 red wine vinegar

1/3 cider vinegar

1/3 extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 TBSP dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1-2 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar (optional)

Mix all ingredients by shaking until emulsified. Store in a cabinet, not refrigerator.

---

Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)

yield: ~1 quart prep time: ~20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 quart grape or cherry tomatoes

1/2 sweet onion (like Vidallia)

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno pepper (or to taste)

1/2 red or orange bell pepper

1/2 poblano pepper (optional)

small bunch of fresh cilantro

juice of one lime

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Procedure:

Rough chop the vegetables

Add to food processor

Pulse until chopped up

Add cilantro, lime, and spices

Continue to pulse until everything is incorporated and the desired consistency

If it is too runny, strain out some of the juice with a fine mesh strainer.